Method for producing an electric motor with stator having step-shaped stator teeth

ABSTRACT

A method for producing an electric motor provided with a stator core configured by laminating a required number of annular electromagnetic steel sheets having a plurality of tooth portions on an inner periphery thereof. The circumferential widths of the tooth portions become gradually narrower in a stepwise fashion toward an uppermost surface and an undermost surface of the plurality of laminated electromagnetic steel sheets, whereby the shoulder portions on both sides in a circumferential direction of the tooth portions smoothly change. A flexible, planar insulating member is provided having a first portion of a shape similar to a planar shape of said electromagnetic steel sheet, and further comprising flexible ear portions at positions corresponding to shoulder portions on both sides in a circumferential direction of the tooth portions. A coil is wound around the flexible planar insulating member and the respective tooth portions, including the ear portions of said insulating member interposed between the coil winding and the tooth portion, to thereby deform the flexible ear portions to conform the shape of the shoulder portions.

This application is a Continuation of copending application Ser. No.14/394,776, filed on Oct. 16, 2014, which is the National Phase under 35U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT/JP2013/061895, filedon Apr. 23, 2013, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) toPatent Application No. 2012-150640, filed in Japan on Jul. 4, 2012, allof which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference into the presentapplication.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an electric motor in which it ispossible to attain a reduction in size by making the axial dimension ofa stator small.

BACKGROUND ART

A direct winding motor is used in an electric motor for a compressorwhich is applied to a refrigerant compressor of an in-car airconditioner. In the direct winding motor, coil bobbins having insulationproperties are installed at tooth portions around which a coil windingis wound, on both end sites of a stator core which is configured bylaminating a required number of electromagnetic steel sheets generallyshaped by punching, and the coil winding is then wound (refer to, forexample, PTL 1).

On the other hand, PTL 2 discloses a stator of an electric motor inwhich a stator core is configured to be divided into a plurality ofsplit core bodies a, in each of which a tooth portion and a yoke portionare integrally formed, and a plurality of split core bodies b eachforming a yoke portion which is pinched by the split core bodies a, anda coil winding is directly wound around the tooth portion of the splitcore body a without mounting a winding guide (a coil bobbin).

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

[PTL 1] Japanese Patent No. 4788881

[PTL 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.2005-95000

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

However, in the case of the motor in which the coil bobbins areinstalled at both end sites of the stator core, as shown in PTL 1, sincethe coil bobbin itself has a thickness dimension, the axial dimension ofa stator increases by an amount equivalent to the thickness dimension,thereby causing one of factors in an increase in the size of the motor.For this reason, in the motor having the coil bobbin, as an electricmotor for a compressor in which an improvement in the ability to bemounted on a vehicle by a reduction in size is required, the requestcannot be sufficiently satisfied.

On the other hand, in a structure rendering coil bobbin-less, as shownin PTL 2, the axial dimension of a stator is reduced by an amountcorresponding to the thickness dimension of a coil bobbin, and thus itis considered that it is possible to reduce the size of the motor.However, in a structure rendering only coil bobbin-less, there is aconcern that a problem such as coating damage or disconnection of thecoil winding may occur at the time of winding due to edges which areformed at shoulder portions on both sides in a circumferential directionof the tooth portion around which the coil winding is wound, of thestator core which is configured by laminating the electromagnetic steelsheets shaped by punching, and thus there is a case where the quality ofthe coil winding cannot be secured.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances andhas an object to provide an electric motor in which even if coilbobbin-less is rendered, coating damage, disconnection, or the like of acoil winding by a shoulder portion edge of a tooth portion is prevented,and thus it is possible to wind the coil winding while securing thequality thereof.

Solution to Problem

In order to solve the above-described problem, an electric motoraccording to the present invention adopts the following means.

That is, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there isprovided an electric motor including: a stator core configured bylaminating a required number of annular electromagnetic steel sheetshaving a plurality of tooth portions around each of which a coil windingis wound, on an inner periphery side, wherein circumferential widths ofthe tooth portion in the plurality of electromagnetic steel sheets whichare laminated on both end sides of the stator core become graduallynarrow toward the respective end portion sides, and the coil winding isdirectly wound around the tooth portion in which shoulder portions onboth sides in a circumferential direction of the tooth portion which isformed by lamination of the electromagnetic steel sheets are shoulderportions which smoothly change so as to narrow in width in a stepwisefashion toward the respective end portions.

According to the electric motor related to the first aspect of thepresent invention, the circumferential widths of the tooth portion inthe plurality of electromagnetic steel sheets which are laminated onboth end sides of the stator core having a laminated structure becomegradually narrow toward the respective end portion sides and the coilwinding is directly wound around the tooth portion in which shoulderportions on both sides in a circumferential direction of the toothportion which is formed by lamination of the electromagnetic steelsheets are shoulder portions which smoothly change so as to narrow inwidth in a stepwise fashion toward the respective end portions, andtherefore, even in a configuration in which coil bobbin-less isrendered, and thus the coil winding is directly wound around the toothportion in the electromagnetic steel sheets, since the shoulder portionson both sides in the circumferential direction of the tooth portion areshoulder portions which smoothly change so as to narrow in width in astepwise fashion toward the end portions and have a shape along awinding shape of the coil winding, coating damage, disconnection, or thelike of the coil winding by a shoulder portion edge of the tooth portionis prevented, and thus it is possible to wind the coil winding whilesecuring the quality thereof. Therefore, the axial dimension of a statoris reduced by an amount equivalent to the thickness of a coil bobbin,and thus it is possible to reduce the thickness of the motor. Further,due to rendering coil bobbin-less, it is possible to attain thesimplification of a configuration and cost reduction, and it is possibleto attain improvement in efficiency due to a reduction in the wirelength of the coil winding, improvement in reliability due to contactrelaxation between the coil winding and the stator core, or the like.

Further, according to a second aspect of the present invention, in theelectric motor described above, the coil winding is wound around thetooth portion with a thin insulating member having a shape along theshoulder portion interposed therebetween.

According to the electric motor related to the second aspect of thepresent invention, the coil winding is wound around the tooth portionwith the thin insulating member having a shape along the shoulderportion interposed therebetween, and therefore, even in a case where dueto rendering coil bobbin-less, a reduction in insulation propertiesbetween the coil winding and the stator core is of a concern and theamount of reduction exceeds a defined value, it is possible to cope withit by winding the coil winding with the interposition of the thininsulating members having a shape along the shoulder portion. Therefore,it is possible to attain the above-described effect by rendering coilbobbin-less.

Further, according to a third aspect of the present invention, in theelectric motor described above, the insulating member has an ear portionwhich can be deformed along a shape of the shoulder portion of the toothportion.

According to the electric motor related to the third aspect of thepresent invention, the insulating member has the ear portion which canbe deformed along the shape of the shoulder portion of the toothportion, and therefore, even in a case of winding the coil winding withthe interposition of the insulating member, it is possible to wind thecoil winding around the tooth portion with the insulating memberinterposed therebetween, while deforming the ear portion provided at theinsulating member so as to follow the shape of the shoulder portion ofthe tooth portion. Therefore, it is possible to wind the coil windingwhile securing the quality so as to follow the shape of the shoulderportion of the tooth portion, regardless of the presence or absence ofthe insulating member.

Further, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in anyone of the electric motors described above, the insulating member isconfigured with an insulating sheet having flexibility and having ashape similar to a planar shape of the electromagnetic steel sheet.

According to the electric motor related to the fourth aspect of thepresent invention, the insulating member is configured with theinsulating sheet having flexibility and having a shape similar to theplanar shape of the electromagnetic steel sheet, and therefore, whenwinding the coil winding with the interposition of the insulatingmember, by laminating the insulating sheets having a similar shape tothe electromagnetic steel sheet on both ends of the stator core andwinding the coil winding thereon, it is possible to wind the coilwinding so as to follow the shape of the shoulder portion of the toothportion while bending and deforming the insulating sheets havingflexibility so as to follow the shape of the shoulder portion of thetooth portion. Therefore, it is possible to reliably wind the coilwinding while securing the quality thereof, without impairing theworkability of winding work of the coil winding.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the present invention, even in a configuration in whichcoil bobbin-less is rendered, and thus the coil winding is directlywound around the tooth portion in the electromagnetic steel sheets,since the shoulder portions on both sides in the circumferentialdirection of the tooth portion are shoulder portions which smoothlychange so as to narrow in width in a stepwise fashion toward the endportions and have a shape along a winding shape of the coil winding,coating damage, disconnection, or the like of the coil winding by ashoulder portion edge of the tooth portion is prevented, and thus it ispossible to wind the coil winding while securing the quality thereof.For this reason, the axial dimension of the stator is reduced by anamount equivalent to the thickness of the coil bobbin, and thus it ispossible to reduce the thickness of the motor. Further, due to renderingcoil bobbin-less, it is possible to attain the simplification of aconfiguration and cost reduction, and it is possible to attainimprovement in efficiency due to a reduction in the wire length of thecoil winding, improvement in reliability due to contact relaxationbetween the coil winding and the stator core, or the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an electric motor according to an embodiment ofthe present invention in a state where a coil winding is omitted.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a tooth portion of a stator core of theelectric motor shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the tooth portion of the stator core shown inFIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a diagram equivalent to the cross-section along line A-A ofFIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a partial plan view of an insulating sheet which is used in acase where insufficient insulation is of a concern.

FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram of an embodiment in which a coil bobbinis used; and

FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram of an embodiment in which coilbobbin-less is rendered according to the change of the tooth portion.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

In FIG. 1, a plan view of an electric motor according to an embodimentof the present invention in a state where a coil winding is omitted isshown.

An electric motor 1 is configured to include a stator 2 which isconfigured by winding a coil winding (not shown) around a tooth portion4 of a stator core 3 having an annular shape, and a rotor 10 which isrotatably disposed inside the stator 2 with a predetermined gapinterposed therebetween.

The rotor 10 has a cylindrical rotor core 11 which is configured bylaminating a required number of thin electromagnetic steel sheets shapedby punching, and a through-hole 12 into which a rotating shaft (notshown) is fitted is axially bored in a central portion thereof. In therotor core 11, holes for magnet embedment 13 in a number correspondingto the number of poles (in this embodiment, six poles) of a motor areprovided so as to surround the through-hole 12 along an outer peripheralsite thereof, and a configuration is made in which a permanent magnet 14is embedded in each of the holes 13.

The stator core 3 configuring the stator 2 is configured by laminating arequired number of electromagnetic steel sheets 5 shaped in an annularshape by punching, and the tooth portion 4 for winding a coil windingtherearound is provided on the inner periphery side thereof. In the caseof this embodiment, the tooth portions 4 are provided at nine places atsubstantially equal intervals on the inner periphery side of the statorcore 3, and a slot 6 is punched between the respective tooth portions 4,whereby the coil winding can be wound around the tooth portion 4. In thecase of this embodiment, a configuration is made in which coil windingsof three phases, a U-phase, a V-phase, and a W-phase, are sequentiallywound at three places.

The tooth portion 4 is configured such that circumferential widths B ofthe tooth portion 4 in the plurality of electromagnetic steel sheets 5which are laminated on both end sides of the stator core 3 are shaped bypunching such that the widths B become gradually narrow toward therespective end portion sides E, and shoulder portions 7 which are formedon both sides in a circumferential direction of the tooth portion 4 onboth end sides of the stator core 3 when the electromagnetic steelsheets 5 are laminated form the shoulder portions 7 which smoothlychange so as to narrow in width in a stepwise fashion toward therespective end portions, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4.

As described above, a configuration is made in which the shoulderportions 7 which are formed on both sides in the circumferentialdirection of the tooth portion 4 around which the coil winding of thestator core 3 is wound form the shoulder portions 7 which smoothlychange so as to narrow in width in a stepwise fashion toward therespective end portions, on both end portion sides of the stator core 3.In this manner, even if coil bobbin-less is rendered, and thus the coilwinding is directly wound around the tooth portion 4, the shoulderportions 7 of the tooth portion 4 have a smooth shape along a windingshape of the coil winding. For this reason, the coil winding is notsubjected to coating damage or disconnection by a shoulder portion edgeof the tooth portion 4, and thus it is possible to wind the coil windingwhile securing the quality thereof.

For this reason, an axial dimension of the stator 2 is reduced by anamount equivalent to the thickness of a coil bobbin which generally is aresin molded product and in which a central portion is thick compared toboth side portions, and thus it is possible to make the motor thinner.Further, due to rendering coil bobbin-less, it is possible to attain thesimplification of a configuration and cost reduction, and it is possibleto attain improvement in efficiency due to a reduction in the wirelength of the coil winding, improvement in reliability due to contactrelaxation between the coil winding and the stator core 3, or the like.

A schematic diagram in which a structure in a case FIG. 6A where a coilbobbin is used is compared with a structure in a case FIG. 6B in whichcoil bobbin-less is rendered according to the change of the toothportion 4 is shown.

In a case where a coil winding is wound around a tooth portion 4A with acoil bobbin 20 interposed therebetween, an axial dimension L of thestator 2 which includes the coil winding is increased by an amountequivalent to the thickness of the coil bobbin 20. In contrast, bymaking the shoulder portions 7 on both sides in the circumferentialdirection of the tooth portion 4 be the shoulder portions 7 whichsmoothly change so as to narrow in width in a stepwise fashion towardthe end portion side, and directly winding the coil winding, therebyomitting the coil bobbin 20, it is possible to shorten the dimension Lby at least an amount equivalent to the thickness of the coil bobbin 20.For this reason, it is possible to expect the effects such as thethinning of the motor, the simplification of a configuration, costreduction, and improvement in efficiency due to a reduction in windingwire length.

On the other hand, as described above, in a case where insulationperformance between the stator core 3 and the coil winding is reduceddue to rendering coil bobbin-less and the amount of reduction exceeds adefined value, thin insulating members 8 may be disposed at both ends ofthe tooth portion 4 of the stator core 3. As the insulating member 8, itis possible to use an insulating sheet, an insulative film, or a moldedproduct by vacuum molding, injection molding, or the like. However, inorder to attain the effect by rendering coil bobbin-less, it ispreferable to make the thickness of the insulating member 8 be less thanor equal to 1 mm.

In FIG. 5, an example in which an insulating sheet having flexibilityand having a planar shape similar to the shape of the electromagneticsteel sheet 5 shaped in an annular shape by punching is used as theinsulating member 8 is shown. In the case of the insulating sheet 8, theinsulating sheets are used to be laminated on both end surfaces of thestator core 3. However, a configuration is adopted in which car portion9 having an appropriate length are provided at positions correspondingto the shoulder portions 7 so as to be deformed along the smoothshoulder portions 7 on both sides in the circumferential direction ofthe tooth portion 4.

In this manner, in a case where a reduction in insulation propertiesbetween the coil winding and the stator core 3 is of a concern, it ispossible to cope with it by winding the coil winding with the thininsulating member 8 having a shape along the shoulder portion interposedtherebetween. Even in this case, by using the insulating member 8 havinga thickness less than or equal to 1 mm, it is possible to attain theabove-described effect by rendering coil bobbin-less. Further, by usingthe insulating member (the insulating sheet) 8 having the ear portion 9which can be deformed along the shape of the smooth shoulder portion 7of the tooth portion 4, it is possible to wind the coil winding aroundthe tooth portion 4 with the insulating member 8 interposedtherebetween, while deforming the ear portion 9 so as to follow theshape of the shoulder portion 7 of the tooth portion 4. For this reason,it is possible to wind the coil winding while securing quality so as tofollow the shape of the shoulder portion 7, regardless of the presenceor absence of the insulating member 8.

Furthermore, when the insulating member 8 is configured with theinsulating sheet having flexibility and having a shape similar to theplanar shape of the electromagnetic steel sheet 5 and the coil windingis wound with the interposition of the insulating member (the insulatingsheet) 8, the insulating sheets having a similar shape to theelectromagnetic steel sheet 5 are laminated on both ends of the statorcore 3 and the coil winding is wound thereon. In this way, it ispossible to wind the coil winding so as to follow the shape of theshoulder portion of the tooth portion 4 while bending and deforming theinsulating sheet 8 having flexibility so as to follow the shapes of theshoulder portions 7 of the tooth portion 4. For this reason, it ispossible to wind the coil winding while securing the quality thereof,without impairing the workability of winding work of the coil winding.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to an inventionrelated to the above-described embodiment, and modifications can beappropriately made within a scope which does not depart from the gist ofthe present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment,the number of electromagnetic steel sheets 5 which gradually narrow thecircumferential width B of the tooth portion 4 is not particularlydefined. However, the number of electromagnetic steel sheets 5 may beappropriately determined by the extent the shoulder portion 7 is madesmooth, in consideration of the size of the circumferential widthdimension of the tooth portion 4, the sheet thickness of theelectromagnetic steel sheet 5, the thickness of the coil winding, or thelike, and the number is changed according to the size, the output, andother characteristics of an electric motor.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   -   1: electric motor    -   3: stator core    -   4: tooth portion    -   5: electromagnetic steel sheet    -   7: shoulder portion    -   8: insulating member (insulating sheet)    -   9: ear portion    -   B: circumferential width of tooth portion

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method for producing an electric motor,the electric motor comprising: a stator core comprising a plurality oflaminated annular electromagnetic steel sheets having an annular portionand a plurality of tooth portions on an inner periphery side, and a coilwinding wound about each tooth portion, wherein the electromagneticsteel sheet has a continuous plane formed from the annular portion andthe tooth portions and wherein the circumferential widths of the toothportions of the plurality of laminated electromagnetic steel sheetsbecome gradually narrower in width in a stepwise fashion toward anuppermost surface and an undermost surface of the plurality of laminatedelectromagnetic steel sheets, whereby shoulder portions on both sides ina circumferential direction of the tooth portions smoothly change, themethod comprising providing a flexible, planar insulating member havinga first portion of a shape similar to the annular portion of saidelectromagnetic steel sheet and a second portion of a shape similar tothe tooth portions, said planar insulating member further comprisingflexible ear portions at positions corresponding to the shoulderportions on both sides in the circumferential direction of the toothportions, and the first portion, the second portion and the ear portionforming a continuous plane, and winding the coil winding around theflexible planar insulating member and the respective tooth portions,including the ear portions of said insulating member interposed betweenthe coil winding and the tooth portion, to thereby deform the flexibleear portions to conform the shape of the shoulder portions.
 2. Themethod according to claim 1, comprising providing said flexible, planarinsulating member on the uppermost surface and on the undermost surfaceof the plurality of laminated electromagnetic steel sheets of thestator.
 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said insulatingmember is an insulative film.
 4. The method according to claim 1,wherein said insulating member has a thickness that is less than orequal to 1 mm.